中國故事講述者—法國人老路

文/葉 珂

老路與妻子在千島湖。Lao Lu and his wife poses for a photo at the Thousand Island Lake.

第一次走近杭州海創(chuàng)園的辦公樓，一只可愛的柴犬朝我吠了幾聲。當我正想撫摸一下這個小家伙以示陌生人友好的時候，它的主人—一位身材頎長、笑容可掬的外籍男子走了過來，他立馬抱起小狗，以略帶抱歉的口吻和一口標準的普通話輕輕說道：“不好意思，它總是這么熱情?！?/p>

這是第一次見老路。

在表明來意之后，我和老路在工作人員的帶領之下來到了一個安靜的采訪間。老路提出，他要去泡點龍井茶，讓我稍坐片刻。幾分鐘后，老路端著一壺龍井茶和一個法式風格的小茶杯再次回到采訪間。在簡短的寒暄之后，我們開始了之后長達一小時的半采訪、半閑聊的對話。

玩笑中卻意外結緣中文

老路游覽天臺國清寺。Lao Lu pays a visit to the Guoqing Temple in Tiantai county, Taizhou city.

老路本名叫Olivier Ruelle，來自巴黎，是個地地道道的法國人，現(xiàn)在和他的中國夫人居住在杭州。從1991年以學生的身份第一次踏上中國的土地，到1997年決定正式定居中國，老路在中國已經(jīng)生活了將近30年。

聊起和中國的緣分，老路說，這還得從一次和朋友開的玩笑說起。1987年高中畢業(yè)后，老路和朋友兩人打賭要學一種世上最難的語言。老路的朋友認為，俄語是世界上最難的語言。然而，老路卻不以為然。他覺得，中文才是世界上最有挑戰(zhàn)性的語言。雖然在之后的專業(yè)填報中，選擇俄語的朋友并沒有堅持學習俄語，而是學習了貿(mào)易和商務，但是老路卻堅持了下來，堅定地選擇中文作為他的大學專業(yè)。

本來是一句玩笑話，卻開啟了他和中文的特殊緣分。

摯愛杭州和“公益浙江”

在之后的中文學習以及在中國的生活中，老路做過很多事情。當過廠長、導游、央視法語頻道主持人、公關公司顧問和培訓師等，現(xiàn)在還做起了自媒體。從北京、深圳、香港到浙江，老路走過很多中國的省份和城市，也充分感受了中國大好山河的幅員遼闊和獨特魅力。本著骨子里法國人熱愛生活的態(tài)度和勇于突破的精神，老路決心辭去工作，前往香港攻讀博士，研究公益實踐和公益的未來。

為了做好博士論文，老路先后來到杭州等中國幾個一線和新一線城市進行實地走訪調(diào)研。在杭州，他遇到了此生摯愛的中國妻子。說起對浙江的印象，老路說，總能在這里發(fā)現(xiàn)一些有關中國發(fā)展最前沿的東西，而遍布全球的浙商群體尤其令他印象深刻，因為浙商恰恰充分凸顯浙江民營經(jīng)濟的活力和浙江人勤勞勇敢的品質。

浙江不只有山水詩畫，也有活力和熱情。

就好比說公益這件事，浙江人做事情總是走在前面。最突出的表現(xiàn)就是互聯(lián)網(wǎng)賦能公益的嘗試。在浙江，比如杭州的這些“互聯(lián)網(wǎng)+”公益項目，總是能將普惠輻射到全中國的老百姓。這一點，讓老路覺得非常佩服。

現(xiàn)在，老路和他在杭州全職從事公益的妻子，也會做一些力所能及的公益項目來幫助需要幫助的人。憑借對中國文化的深厚熱愛和對推動中外交流合作的熱情，老路還被杭州市政府授予杭州國外專家最高榮譽—錢江友誼使者。

詩畫江南中感悟中式美學

采訪中，老路始終不離他的龍井茶壺。他提及，來了中國之后，喝茶已經(jīng)成為了一種習慣。1993年第一次來浙江的時候，老路和朋友在杭州逗留了整整28天，其間逛遍了杭州幾乎所有的熱門景點，特別是西湖和植物園。這段占據(jù)他們中國之行三分之一的時光，也成為之后他腦海里對江南最靈動的記憶。

老路回憶說，當時和朋友在西湖邊駐足觀賞時，還點了一杯當?shù)厝丝谥械摹疤丶夶埦?。是否特級，老路并沒有概念。只是回想起來，那滋味太好了，從此也讓他深深愛上了中國茶和中國茶文化。

在浙江，老路仿佛遇見了“老鄉(xiāng)”。當熱愛生活的法國人遇上“會過日子”的浙江人，奇妙的化學反應就發(fā)生了。老路說，他覺得浙江人特別會生活，會慢慢享受過程，會喝茶，會吃一些很精致的東西，這一點和他們法國人很像，都是愛生活的人。

在浙江生活的這么多年里，他深深愛上了中式美學以及中國傳統(tǒng)文化中“中庸之道”強調(diào)平衡和和諧的理念。在他看來，中國文化強調(diào)平衡這一點，對現(xiàn)代人很有啟示意義。當代社會浮躁的環(huán)境下，很多人往往忘記了生活的本真是什么，而中國傳統(tǒng)文化講究“中庸之道”和平衡這一點，可以讓現(xiàn)代人在忙忙碌碌的生活中重新發(fā)現(xiàn)生活的本色和生命力。

“中庸，就是以一種平衡的態(tài)度看待生活，不急不慢，享受過程?！崩下贩磸驼f道。

做中國故事的講述者

老路現(xiàn)在的一個主要身份是視頻博主。他運營的“愛喝茶的老路”賬號在全網(wǎng)擁有50萬粉絲，在嗶哩嗶哩的視頻播放量超過1200萬?？梢哉f，老路已然是個名副其實的“網(wǎng)紅博主”了。

在浙江的生活，讓老路得以以一個旁觀者的身份觀察浙江和中國社會的發(fā)展。在他看來，還是有很多外國人不夠了解中國，特別是浙江。也許很多人知道北京、上海、香港、廣州，但大多數(shù)外國人對浙江的了解相對較少。而且，很多外國人對中國的經(jīng)濟模式、中國人的思維方式等至今仍然無法理解。所以他想通過視頻介紹浙江、介紹中國。

目前，老路創(chuàng)作了《路游記》《老路故事匯》《老路說》三檔欄目?！堵酚斡洝芬酝鈬说囊暯牵哌M寧波東錢湖等地，用一幀幀生動的畫面展現(xiàn)鮮活的細節(jié)，通過Vlog等短視頻形式把浙江和中國的人文歷史、美食文化、田園風光等展現(xiàn)出來；《老路故事匯》記錄了老路在中國近30年的真實生活，向外國網(wǎng)友展示老路這些年來親眼見證的中國發(fā)展變化；《老路說》向中國網(wǎng)友介紹法國及其他國家的文化，讓中國也更加了解世界。

談及未來的規(guī)劃，老路說，他希望可以制作出更多讓海內(nèi)外用戶感興趣的內(nèi)容，敘事對象更加側重于海外受眾，自覺承擔起做好中國和外國之間的“橋梁”的角色，讓全世界更多的人能相互了解，彼此喜愛，互相信任。

詩畫江南，活力浙江。定居杭州的老路，和許多熱愛這片土地的外國友人一樣，還將續(xù)寫更多中外友誼的動人篇章。

老路在臺州府城墻拍攝的景色。A picture taken by Lao Lu of the city wall of the Ancient City of Taizhou in Taizhou city.

Lao Lu: A Frenchman’s China Journey

By Ye Ke

老路在黃湖鎮(zhèn)青山村騎行。Lao Lu cycles at Qingshan village, Huanghu township in Hangzhou.

As I approached the office building of Hangzhou Future Technology City Haichuang Garden for the first time, a lovely dog barked at me. When I was trying to touch the little guy to show my friendliness, the owner, a tall, smiling foreign man, came up and immediately picked up the puppy, speaking in an apologetic tone in standard Mandarin: “I’m sorry; the dog is always excited.”

That was also the first time that I had met Lao Lu (or Old Lu).

After stating my intent, I went to a quiet interview room with Lao Lu. Before the interview started, he excused himself, saying that he needed to make some Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, and asked me to wait for a moment. A few minutes later, he came back with a pot of Longjing tea and a small French tea cup. After some brief pleasantries, I began the one-and-a-half-hour interview with him, although in truth it was quite casual.

Lao Lu, or Lu Ming in full, is the Chinese name that Olivier Ruelle gave himself. A Frenchman from Paris, he now lives in Hangzhou with his Chinese wife. He first came to China as a student in 1991, and, 25 years have already passed since he decided to settle in the country in 1997.

Speaking of his love story with China, Lao Lu said that it all started when he made a joke with his friend. After graduating from high school in 1987, Lao Lu and his friend placed a bet with each other to learn the hardest language in the world in college. For his friend, Russian was the most difficult. However, Lao Lu did not agree. Chinese, he believed, was the most challenging language on earth. Although Lao Lu’s friend studied trade and business instead of Russian subsequently, Lao Lu stuck to his belief and selected Chinese as his university major.

Later, Lao Lu would “play all kinds of roles” in the process of his studying Chinese and during his life in China. For example,he was twice the head of a factory. He worked as a tour guide.He also served as a host for the French channel of China Central Television. He worked as a consultant for a public relations company as well as a communication coach, too, among other jobs. Currently, Lao Lu is part of the “we media” or “self media”,which in China refers to independently operated social media accounts. From Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong to Zhejiang, he has traveled through many Chinese provinces and cities, and fully basks in the vastness and unique charm of China’s great mountains and rivers.

Indeed, as be fitting a life-cherishing and adventurous French,at one time Lao Lu decided to quit his job and went to Hong Kong to pursue a PhD degree, focusing on the practice and future of China’s public interest (volunteering and charity) projects.

To prepare for his doctoral thesis, he visited several Chinese cities including the so-called “new first-tier” cities such as Hangzhou for his field work. In fact, it was in Hangzhou that Lao Lu met his Chinese wife. For him, Zhejiang province is always at the very forefront of China’s development. He is particularly impressed by businessmen of Zhejiang origin, who can be found across the world. They represent the vitality of Zhejiang’s private economy and Zhejiang people’s diligence and courage, Lao Lu said.

Apart from its poetic landscape, Zhejiang’s dynamism and enthusiasm are in abundance as well. For instance, when it comes to volunteering and charity, people in Zhejiang are invariably ahead. The most prominent case is the attempt of the internet industry to improve public welfare, which is admired by Lao Lu.

At present, Lao Lu, together with his wife who is fully engaged in volunteer and charitable work, is doing whatever he can to help people in need. In 2021, he was bestowed with the Qianjiang Friendship Award, the highest honor presented by the Hangzhou municipal government to international experts.

During the interview, Lao Lu never left his Longjing teapot.He mentioned that after his stay in China, drinking tea had become a habit. When visiting Zhejiang for the first time in 1993,Lao Lu and his friends spent a full 28 days in Hangzhou, exploring almost all the hotspots in in the city, especially the West Lake and the Botanical Garden.

He recalled that when they stopped to appreciate the West Lake, they ordered a cup of “super Longjing” tea. Every time he remembers it, he can’t forget the aromatic taste, and it was at that time that Lao Lu had fallen in love with Chinese tea and Chinese tea culture.

In Zhejiang, Lao Lu seems to be living among his French“kinship”: for him, the Zhejiang people love life as much as the French and they can truly enjoy life. Drinking tea, in particular taking pleasure in the slow process, is a very good example.

After so many years in the province, he is now deeply attached to Chinese aesthetics and idea of harmony embedded in the Chinese “Doctrine of the Mean”. At a time when the whole world is afflicted with so many ills, many people have forgotten the essence of life, which Lao Lu believes the “Doctrine of the Mean” can help correct.

“The Doctrine of the Mean is an attitude, which is to live your life in a balanced way, neither too quick nor too slow,enjoying the process,” he said repeatedly.

Right now, Lao Lu is mostly occupied with vlogging. His accounts have garnered over half a million fans in various social media platforms and his videos have garnered 12 million views on Bilibili, one of China’s most popular video-sharing websites. He has become an internet celebrity.

Decades of living in Zhejiang has enabled Lao Lu to observe more clearly the development of the province and China as a whole. In his opinion, there are still quite a large number of foreigners who do not know enough about China. They may have heard of Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, but perhaps relatively little about Zhejiang. Moreover, many still cannot understand China’s economic model and the Chinese way of thinking. Therefore, he hopes his videos can help introduce Zhejiang and China to a wider audience.

As to the future, Lao Lu said he plans to create more content that will interest both Chinese and international viewers. His role is more like a bridge between China and the world. Like many international friends who are in love with this ancient country, Lao Lu will continue to push Sino-foreign relations to new levels.

老路被授予“錢江友誼獎”。Lao Lu is honored with the Qianjiang Friendship Award.

體驗千島湖劃艇。Lao Lu tries kayaking at the Thousand Island Lake.